What have you done that the average person might feel guilt and remorse over, but you didn't?
I've most likely said and done a lot that the average person would feel guilt and remorse over that I wouldn't feel, but I'll only speak of a couple that are most significant to me in my memory. Odd how such events that seem so unremarkable would stick around in my mind so vividly.
When I was very young, probably no older then twelve years old, I did something so terrible to upset my mother that she became very ill and bedridden for days. I can't even remember what exactly it was that I did that was so terrible to her, perhaps because it was never of any significance to me at the time. When she confronted me about it I couldn't help but smile because her face was contorted in such a funny way by her agony. Then I started laughing uncontrollably when she kept asking me repeatedly "Why are you smiling?"
More recently a friend of mine came to me crying and told me her boyfriend had committed suicide, and I said in reply something along the lines of "I could care less, you'll get over it." I said this to her completely nonchalantly, of course. Indifference is not the same as malice.
Do you ever do things for your own personal benefit/amusement that could be described as cruel and/or malicious? If yes, what were they?
Numerous things, but I won't bore you with the details. Mostly what I do to manipulate is what I believe to be necessary to maintain the lifestyle I like to live, not necessarily simply for the sake of pleasure derived from nefarious deeds done to others. Through manipulation other people become my tools, and those tools are an extension of my will, and through my will is my power.
Do you think the ability to feel guilt and remorse is more of a hindrance or a benefit to humanity?
On the positive side, guilt is meant to be a catalyst for change. The guilt and remorse someone experiences should spur them into taking action that will change their life and the lives of others for the better.
On the negative side, guilt may induce depression, anger, and hopelessness. Someone who experiences guilt and remorse may act out in destructive ways, harming themselves or others because they feel powerless due to their extreme negative emotions.
Sociopaths, or those who would believe they do not feel guilt and remorse might feel regret in a sense that they still observe cause and effect like any rational human being: if this event causes this undesirable effect, then in the future I might wish to pursue a different course of action to achieve a more desirable outcome. In the end though, is feeling guilt a hindrance or a benefit to the greater of humanity? I'm not absolutely sure of the answer. I prefer to perceive my actions as experiments, not as mistakes if they go awry. I analyze the outcome of what I have done, and what exactly I did to make it not turn out the way I would've preferred it to be. Then I move on being more well informed, with no emotional strings attached. I pity people who can't simply see the flaws in their actions and quickly move on with life, and allow their guilt to harm themselves unproductively because they failed to make it be the necessary catalyst for change.